DougG

My Louis Garneau bibs say to "hand wash in cold water" and not use a dryer. My newest jersey also says to hand wash only, and don't even wring it out, just "hang upside down to dry" (???).

This is a bit of a pain. My wife refuses to get within 10 feet of my sweaty exercise clothing, and besides she does enough for me without having to hand-wash a bunch of my stuff. I've been doing this myself every time so far, but I'm wondering if it's really worth the trouble. With most of my running clothes -- similar tech fabric to cycling stuff -- I put it in with a regular washer load and then hang it up after it's been spun.

So as long as you keep it out of the dryer, is it really necessary to be this careful with bike clothing? Should I just start buying cheaper stuff so that I don't care if it doesn't last as long or look as good after washing? What do you folks do?

Beverly

I've never found it necessary to hand wash items unless they have some type of beads attached Since none of my biking clothing has beads they all get cold water wash and no dryer.

BlazingPedals

I just throw my stuff in the washer on knits/gentle and into the dryer on low.

maddmaxx 

Like you all, I machine wash, cold. Then I hang to dry......nothing drys faster than spandex anyway.

I have heard however that many of the high dollar kits are treated with chemicals that promote the moisture wicking and that machine washing is not good for these. Since my bibs are "Performance" and the jersey's are Wallmart.................................nuff said.

CACycling

Machine wash and hang to dry.

sauerwald

I commute on a bike, so I generate dirty bike clothes daily. I wear Pearl Izumi Attack Shorts, and a variety of different jerseys - in the winter time there are more layers. All of my bike garb gets washed in the machine on 'gentle' cycle and hung up to dry. I would estimate that my shorts last better than 5 years this way - which I would estimate at ~200 wash cycles...

I haven't worn out a jersey yet, although some have been tossed because they have been torn (snagged on something), or really badly stained etc.

Cone Wrench

You can get special detergent at hiking equipment stores for performance fabrics. Use delicate cycle and hang dry.

cyclezealot

I have one set of Louis Garneau bike gear. I have been machine washing them cold. I'd never put them in a dryer. Hang dry. To protect my bike clothes, I put the shorts in a pillow case to reduce friction and run it on the delicate cycle.

geofitz13

Machine wash, hang dry. Have had no issues at all.

wobblyoldgeezer

This is not advice - goodness, I wouldn't offer advice on anything, least of all on washing. Most (I hope) are a lot better at that than me!

But, I ride a lot in a very hot place. After a hot sweaty ride, I get in the shower after emptying the jersey pockets and taking the bike shoes off, with all the kit on. Dr Bronners all over, whilst singing loudly my favourite showering songs. Gradually divest, singing more loudly still, rinsing the kit in the suds.

Kit goes straight on the line - in 40 degrees C. Sunlight is antiseptic. Kit is dry in less than an hour

When kit gets transparent - in my experience, after more than 5 years - I'll consider buying new stuff

To summarise - hand wash in the shower, sun dry. YMMV

Beverly

This is one of those posts that requires pictures

maddmaxx 

No it doesn't!

noteon 

I hand-wash with Woolite, hand soap, dishwashing liquid, or free hotel shampoo.

brewer45

Machine wash cold, Woolite, delicate. Hang dry.

There is some conversation that Woolite might not be good for kit, but I (actually Malkin...) still use it.

Cheers!

brewer45

...oh and +1 on the Performance bibs!

Cheers!

oilman_15106

You could do what one of the Italian pro riders does, says it is bad luck to take a shower or wash your clothes during a race. 3 weeks of racing over Italy with no shower will make the pack not want to chase you!

I prefer the washing machine, set on warm/cold, gentle cycle, liquid detergent, and higher water level than normal. Make sure all zippers are zipped up. Tumble dry on AIR only setting, gentle for 30 min then hang to final dry on hangers. Works fine.

Some Lawer came up with the hand wash thing after a goofball washed their clothes on hot/hot and hot dryer which ruined the clothes and then tried to blame the mfg for defective product.

aqua4her

I can only add to be cautious of washing with any velcro or zipper fastened items. Did someone already mention turning things inside out?

sestivers

And don't use liquid fabric softener, or Dreft detergent. They goof up the fibers' wicking ability.

swan652

Everything I own gets washed in the washer on warm. Bike clothes get hung to dry. No problems.

dendawg

I machine wash cold, on a gentile cycle, and unless it says not to machine dry, I dry on low heat as well. The only thing I try not to do is have anything with Velcro on it in with my bike clothes.

Red Rider

Cold water, delicate cycle, woolite.

All zippers and fasteners are fastened before washing. For gloves with velcro, wash in a mesh lingerie bag.

Hang to dry.

WOG, I know you have some fierce sun there, so be careful -- sun can cause dry rot/ degradation of the elastic fibres in your clothes, thus prematurely wearing them out.

PirateJim

The boss has been washing my shorts on cold (everything here gets washed on cold, don't know why, don't want to.) Now that swim season is on us she often has a bathing suit soaking and if I toss my shorts in with it she seems to make it reappear in my ready to wear pile. That's really all I care to know. The same two cheepo shorts haven't deteriorated yet from this torture test.

malkin

In this household, anything that is dirty and fits in there goes in the washer.

brewer45

...except the cat.

Cheers!

cyclinfool

My cat goes in the washer - it's the dryer that she won't tolerate, make her poof out.